by Lea Hart
Ana whispered, “Me, too.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Monday
Ana stood in the kitchen and drank coffee as she gazed over her small backyard. This was the first day of the rest of her life, and she was going to get through it—no matter what. Her heart was heavy, and she regularly had to remind herself to breathe, but she knew it was temporary. This was a physical reaction to all of the emotions running through her body. People survived broken hearts all the time, and it wasn’t as though it was fatal. She glanced down at her dress and realized that Birdie had been right all along. If you made sure that your outside appeared put together, then it would give you the emotional armor to survive the reality of everyday life. And she needed the strongest armor she could get.
Her phone buzzed, and she almost dropped her cup when she saw Jack’s face come up on caller id. Why would he be calling her after she clearly told him not to? How dare he ignore her wishes? She turned it off and flipped it over so she wouldn’t have to see his smiling face. She hated his stupid, handsome smiling face. Leaning over the counter, she fought back the tears and tried to take deep breaths. Crack, crack, crack….that was the sound of her heart splitting further apart. In her bones, she loved him, and she hated him for it.
Jack let out a sigh. He knew it was a long shot that she would answer, but it felt it was worth a try. His press conference in an hour was going to go a long way in cleaning all of this up. He just hoped that it would be enough for Ana.
He hated that she had moved some of her stuff out of their house. When he walked into the bedroom and saw some of her things gone, it had made him feel sick to his stomach. Shaking his head, he tried to get rid of the dark thoughts that ran around in his mind. This was something that they were going to get through. It would make them stronger and prepare them for the next challenge. That is what life is about, getting through the tough times so you can enjoy the good ones. He and Ana were going to have a lot of good times together. No one was going to take that away from them. No one.
********
Jack stood in a large conference room and faced a large crowd. His agent and lawyer were in the front row, as well many of his team mates. He appreciated that so many of them had come out to support him. He tried Ana again and was surprised when she answered. “I love you, Ana, and I’m going to fix this. I’m giving a press conference in ten minutes, and I want you to watch it.” She didn’t respond, and he wondered if she was still there. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I never wanted to cause you any pain.” He looked around and put his back on the crowd. This was not a conversation that needed to be overheard by any of the people in the room.
Hearing his deep voice made her suck her breath in. She wasn’t expecting to be so affected by it. “Then why did you, Jack? I don’t like being the collateral damage of your career. Please don’t call me anymore.”
“I won’t call you anymore today. But I will be at your house in a couple of hours, and we are going to talk this out. I let you have a couple of days, and now that’s over. You said you loved me, Ana James, and that’s not something you can take back. I love you, and you love me, so that’s all that’s important.”
Hissing into the phone, she responded. “It’s not that easy, Jack. I can’t go to a public restroom without something happening. How do you expect to have a life together if we can never go out in public? I don’t want to deal with your past and all of the women in it.”
“Watch the news conference, and then we’ll talk. I love you, and we are spending the rest of our lives together, and we are going to be happy.”
“Goodbye, Jack.”
Turning around, he faced the crowd, and his lawyer gave him the signal. Stepping up to the microphone, he cleared his throat and waited for everyone to quiet down. This was the first step in reclaiming his life and the woman he loved.
“Thank you all for coming today. I wanted to take the opportunity to clarify all of the misinformation that’s been out in the press lately. It seems that it’s been open season on me in the last month, and I’m here to tell you that I’m shutting it down. I’ve never really spoken about my private life, because I figured it’s no one’s business. Today, I’m going to talk about it and clear the air.”
He watched the faces of the reporters and knew that what he was about to say was going to change a couple of people’s lives. He tried to solve this quietly and that hadn’t worked, so now it was going to solve it publically. “There is woman who has been claiming that I fathered her child and abandoned her. She’s sold her story to the tabloids and, I believe, done a couple of interviews. It’s nice that she got some money out of her story, because she’s going to need it when my attorneys files a suit of defamation and slander tomorrow in court. When the news came out, I gave a blood sample and left it at my doctor’s office for her child’s to be tested against. As of a couple of minutes ago, she never brought her child in to be tested. The investigator also recently discovered that I wasn’t her first choice for a father for a child. Two months ago, she spread a similar story about a player from our local baseball team. It seems that she played a similar game and sold her story then as well. I’ll give her this-- it’s an interesting way to make a living.
“As much as I believe in charity, this isn’t a cause that I’m willing to support. I’ve given her many opportunities to either prove her case or take back her allegations, and she’s chosen to do neither. This has given me no choice, but to clear my name through the courts. I don’t want to set a precedent and give people the idea that they get to make accusations against me without consequence.” He took a sip of water, and noticed that the reporters didn’t look quite so bloodthirsty anymore.
“If you thought that made my girlfriend mad at me, the next thing really got to her. We were enjoying a special evening last week, celebrating the hospital and the foundation that we’ve set up to fund the research that she is active in. It had been perfect up until the moment she stepped into the bathroom and was asked by a stranger if she would like to see her boyfriend’s sex tape. Needless to say, things went downhill from there. The video that my girlfriend was shown was created by a group of people who do this for a living. It’s a damn shame that this is the way that they are choosing to use their talent. The video is a finely edited version of a lot of different people. Unfortunately, the way it’s edited makes me look like the star. The team has discovered someone’s had access to our locker room and has been filming the players when we’re changing or getting in the showers. The Sharks’ locker room has been filmed for the last year, and apparently, there’s a lot of footage of the players in all of their naked glory. For a lot of guys, it’s not that big of a deal, but for men who are married or in a committed relationship, it is. The team is pursuing the group of people responsible, and they are not going to stop until everyone involved is prosecuted.”
Shifting his weight, he stared at his attorney’s face and got a smile in return. “So as much as you guys like a story, there isn’t one here. I don’t have illegitimate children, and I haven’t starred in a sex tape. When the campaign comes out for the underwear that I’m promoting, please know that my girlfriend was at the photo shoot, and she was the inspiration for the way the photos turned out. My fee for that campaign was deposited into our foundation. That will be my last one, because she asked me not to take my clothes off anymore.
“So now we come around to how this has hurt the person I love most in the world. My girlfriend is a smart, kind, and beautiful woman, and she didn’t sign up for all of the fallout of my life. I have a lot of work in front of me to convince her that I’m worth the hassle. So I’d appreciate it if the next time you report a story, you could check the facts. I’m also going to give a warning to whomever else is out there that wants to use me as an ATM. If you say something about me, it better be true, because I will not let anyone get away with lying about me. Open season on Jack Ellis is closed.” He nodded to the crowd, and walked out the door that led to the hall. Leaning aga
inst the wall, he let out a breath. He hoped that he conveyed his feelings and made it clear where he stood. He heard the door open, and out walked his agent, the investigator, and his attorney. “Well, that’s that. Let’s hope we don’t have to do that again.”
His attorney handed him the thick envelope. “Everything is in there from the investigation. If she doesn’t believe you, then have her read that. Don’t push her, Jack. Give her time to absorb all of this.”
He shook hands with all three men and then made his way out of the building. He needed to see Ana to tell her how sorry he was and how much he loved her. He would do anything to make this right.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Monday Evening
Jack sat on his front steps as he waited for Ana to arrive. She agreed to meet and hear him out. He’d gotten dinner from Joe’s earlier, and he had the table set. He hoped that she stayed long enough to enjoy the meal. He made sure that there was a whole Key lime pie for dessert. Checking his watch for the hundredth time, he noticed that she was running late. He hoped that it was because of traffic and not because she had changed her mind. He pulled his phone out, and there were no messages, either. All he could do was wait and hope that she had a big soft spot for him and was willing to listen to what he had to say.
Twenty minutes later, he was still sitting on his front steps, and he started to feel panicked. What if something happened to her? She wouldn’t leave him hanging without a phone call, even if she was mad. He was about to call her when he heard the front gates open. Relief ran through him as he stood and watched Ana drive up in her mini. He’d never seen a better sight in the world. He wanted to run down the steps and meet her, but decided to give her a little space and not maul her as soon as she stepped foot out of her car. He watched her open the door and take her time getting her things together. She stood and looked over the top of her car. There wasn’t a smile on her face, but that was okay. She was here, and this was the chance that he wanted. “Thanks for coming over, sweetie. I sure missed you.” A small smile appeared as she continued to stare. A smile, no matter how small, was a good sign.
“I’m starving. I hope you plan on feeding me.” She walked around her car and watched him take a couple of steps toward her.
He stopped before he got too close and stood like a statue, staring at her. “So is that yes to food or no to food?”
“I always say yes to food.”
“I got us dinner from Joe’s. I thought, if you decided to give me another chance, then we needed a do-over for that date.”
“I hope you got some Key lime pie to go with it.”
“I got a whole pie for you.”
She stepped toward him, and his scent washed over her. Closing her eyes against the overwhelming feeling, she stood still and willed her body to behave. She didn’t know which way this was going to go, and she didn’t want her hormones and heart making the decision. She wanted to consider all of the facts and then think about it. Apparently her body didn’t want any thinking to happen. It just wanted to jump in his arms and kiss him all over his face. Good thing her brain was so big. It won the first round of arguments. Slowly opening her eyes, she studied him. He looked tired and in pain. Maybe the game yesterday was rougher than she thought. She didn’t watch it, so she had no idea if he was suffering. “Did you take a hard hit yesterday in the game?”
His eyebrows scrunched together as he tried to figure out what she was talking about. “I had a lousy game, but the hits were not any different from any other week. The biggest hit I’ve taken is when you left the event on Thursday without talking to me.”
“Trust me--you would not have wanted to hear what I had to say to you. I don’t even know what I think anymore. I’ll listen, Jack, but I make no guarantees.”
He risked taking her hand as he responded. “Sweetie, that’s all I want….a chance.” He held tightly to her hand and felt his heartbeat slow down in his chest. Having her physically next to him made everything in his world all right again. “Let’s eat, and we can talk.”
They walked into the front door.
Ana noticed a photo of them from the charity event set in a nice frame on the entry table. The man was as subtle as a jackhammer. She stopped and studied it closely, noting it was a sweet picture of them. They were standing facing one another, and they both had big smiles on their faces as they stared at one another. That was a perfect moment between them.
“I have a copy for you if you decide to give me another chance. I thought you might like it for your office.”
“When you decide to retire from football, you should consider sales, Jack. That was a pretty good pitch.”
“I have a lot more where that came from.” He tugged on her hand and led her into the kitchen. He had set the kitchen table with the nice stuff that his mom had gotten. He had a big bouquet of flowers and candles set out. He pulled out her chair and made sure she was comfortable before opening the wine. “The manager said this was a good choice for our dinner. I don’t know anything about wine, so I hope he’s right.”
“I’m sure it will be.” She watched him pour them both glasses and then hold his glass up in a toast. Waiting, she watched him take a breath before speaking.
“To the love of my life and the woman who makes me a better person.” He clinked his glass and took a sip of the wine. It was actually pretty good. He watched her for a reaction, and she gave nothing away. She gave him a pleasant smile as she sat with her hands in her lap. She could have been at the doctor’s office for all of the emotion she was showing. He’d faced a lot of opponents in his life, so her lack of reaction didn’t bother him. “Enjoy your wine and let me get the food.” Opening the fridge, he pulled out the salads and brought them over. Maybe they should have all of their dates at home. No one bothered them, and the chance of something happening to Ana in the bathroom was eliminated. He doubted she’d be too thrilled about it, though. He sat next to her and made sure that there wasn’t a breath of space between them. He felt better because they were breathing the same air. He somehow needed to remind her of who they were together. He let her take the first bite and then started eating. He’d put music on earlier, and it made the quietness between them a little less noticeable. He wanted to let her enjoy her meal before they started talking. “How was your day at work?”
“It was productive. I wrote grant requests all day.”
He stopped eating and wiped his mouth. “Why were you writing grant requests? You have a million dollars at your disposal.”
She put her hand on his arm and shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea after all. I think I will just pursue the normal routes of funding for the project. You can give it to someone else.”
“No!” He didn’t mean to respond so loudly, but he was mad. How dare she not take the money for her research? Did she think that he wouldn’t honor his commitment?
She set down her fork and tipped her head down.
“That foundation will always be yours, even if you change your mind about me. My word means everything.”
Looking up, she had tears in her eyes as she took his hand. “Jack, I don’t think that I can deal with your big life. As much as I would like to think that I can, it’s just more than I want to handle.”
He held her face in his hands, leaned forward, and kissed her tears away. He wasn’t going to let her go, no way. “I’m sorry that the shit storm happened, Ana. I promise that I will do a better job of protecting you from it.” He felt her rest her face against his hand. “Please, give me another chance.” He stood, lifted her in his arms, and carried her to the couch in the sunroom. He had to hold on and help her remember that she loved him. He held her tightly as he kissed her face and her hair as he quietly promised to love her and take care of her for the rest of his life.
She buried her face in his neck and tightened her hold on his shoulders.
“We are perfect for one another. There is no better match than you and me.” He lifted her face and let his m
outh meet hers. Maybe this would be a way to remind her of their connection. He gently pressed his lips and tasted her salty tears. For a second, he thought she felt nothing, and then relief rushed down his spine.
She pressed her mouth against his.
That gave him a small glimmer of hope. He felt her pull away and take a breath. He leaned his head against hers and waited for what she was going to tell him.
“I’m not letting my heart and body make the decision.” She patted his chest and felt his heart hammer against it. “I’m going to consider all of the facts, and then I’ll make a rational decision.”
Laughing, he rubbed his nose against hers. “If your heart and body want me, then your mind will surely follow.”
She pushed and gave him a dark glare. “You think it’s that easy? You think that I’m some nitwit who’s just going to believe whatever you tell me. Well, I can assure you that is not the case.”
“You want facts? Fine.” He lifted her off his lap, stood, and walked into his office. He pulled the large envelope off his desk and carried it back. Dropping it on her lap, he folded his arms across his chest and waited. “There is the report from my attorney, and the investigator we hired and the team’s research, as well. Those are the facts, Ana. I hope it will be enough to remind your head that you love me.”
She looked at the envelope and then at him. “Thank you, Jack. I will read this tomorrow.”
“I’m not waiting until tomorrow. You read it right now.”
“Don’t tell me what to do. I’m hungry, and I want to eat.”
“You can read while you eat.”
“Why are you pushing so hard? I need some space to decide what I want to do, and I need time to read everything.”